(June 05, 2003) - Successful annual general meeting
Hamburg, 5 June 2003. Group sales of the wine trading group Hawesko Holding AG (HAW, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) rose by 10 % in the first five months of the current fiscal year (January to May 2003) compared to the same period in the previous year. As CEO Alexander Margaritoff stated at today's annual general meeting in Hamburg, Hawesko is thus well on the way to achieving the overall forecast for the year. For fiscal year 2003 overall, Hawesko is aiming for sales of Euro 280 million (2002: Euro 267 million) and a proportionally higher increase in profits.
The Hawesko general meeting approved a dividend of Euro 1.00 per share (previous year: Euro 1.15). Mr Winfried Laackhove was elected as a new member of the supervisory board. Other proposals by the management and supervisory boards were also approved at the shareholders' meeting. These include new approved capital, renewed approval for the purchase of treasury shares as well as various changes in the company charter, in particular the adaptation to the recently implemented law on transparency and disclosure (German "TransPuG").
With regard to full-year expectations, CEO Margaritoff stated: "After the sales increase of 14% in the first quarter, sales development has not been quite as dynamic in the second quarter, but in line with our expectations and well within our forecast for the year overall, so we remain optimistic. And now, after the end of the war in Iraq, if we get some new stimulus in German politics and the economy, we will be even more optimistic about the future."
Hawesko Holding AG is the leading seller of premium wines and champagnes in Germany. Its three divisions - mail order/e-commerce (particularly Hanseatisches Wein- und Sekt-Kontor), specialist wine-shop retail (Jacques' Wein-Depot) and wholesale (Wein Wolf and CWD Champagner & Wein Distributionsgesellschaft) - it achieved sales of Euro 267 million in fiscal year 2002. The Group employs 550 people.
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Publisher: Hawesko Holding AG
Postfach 20 15 52
20205 Hamburg
Internet:
http://www.hawesko.com
(company profile)
http://www.hawesko.de
(online shop)
http://www.jacques-wein-depot.de
(locations/information about Jacques' Wein-Depot)
Press/Media:
Vera Maria Bau,VMB Consulting
Tel. (02244) 91 27 36
Fax (02244) 91 27 38
e-mail: vmb@nsag.de
Investor Relations:
Thomas Hutchinson, Hawesko Holding AG
Tel. (040) 30 39 21 00
Fax (040) 30 39 21 05
e-mail: ir@hawesko.com